It’s better together: The psychological benefits of singing in a choir

In this article, Stewart and Lonsdale provide results from their study that compares choral singing to solo singing and playing a team sport. The results show that choral singers and those who play a sport reported “higher psychological well-being than solo singing” and that choral singers reported their choral experience to be a “more coherent or ‘meaningful’ social group than team sport players considered their teams. “

The study aimed to compare the psychological well-being of individuals who sing in a choir with those who sing solo or team sports. Based on the results, participation in activities as part of a group yielded higher well-being scores, indicating that group members may have a more significant influence on psychological well-being than completing activities individually.

Entitativity, motivation, and basic need satisfaction were used to measure and understand the psychological factors that may be responsible for the well-being effects of choral singing at both a group and an individual level. Choral singers reported higher entitativity scores than those who played team sports, indicating that choral singers may experience a greater sense of being part of a ‘real’ group than team sport players.

No doubt participating in group social activities can bring a sense of togetherness or provide an individual with numerous benefits from their involvement. And while this study provides the results that I would love to see as a choral director and an individual who sees the interaction in the rehearsal setting daily, I find it hard to put those interactions into a score or number.

I also believe that it is indeed the definition of entitativity that makes the group singing experience different. You’re not competing to see who can outsing one another or trying to win a championship. As the APA Dictionary of Psychology defines entitativity, you’re “a real entity having unity and coherence.” Without choral singing, I’m not sure where I would be today. If I had any suggestions, I would find a local choir and try it.